BRANDON MOSS

9/16/83; '02 8th (Boston); Loganville (GA) HS
L/R; 6-0, 180

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2002 R (Bos)
.204
.295
.292
113
6
2
0
13
40
1
2
2003 A- (Bos)
.237
.290
.430
228
15
4
7
15
53
7
5
2004 A+ (Bos)
.422
.462
.542
83
2
1
2
7
15
2
0
2004 A (Bos)
.339
.402
.515
433
25
6
13
46
75
19
8
2005 AA (Bos)
.268
.337
.441
503
31
4
16
53
129
6
3
2006 AA (Bos)
.285
.357
.439
508
36
3
12
56
108
8
5
2007 AL (Bos)
.280
.379
.440
25
2
1
0
4
6
0
0
2007 AAA (Bos)
.282
.363
.471
493
41
2
16
61
148
3
5
2008 AL (Bos)
.295
.337
.462
78
5
1
2
6
25
1
1
2008 NL
.222
.288
.424
158
10
2
6
15
45
0
1
2008 AAA (Bos)
.284
.346
.528
163
8
4
8
16
47
2
0
2009 NL
.236
.304
.364
385
20
4
7
34
84
1
5

Moss was generally a good but not outstanding hitter in the minors.  He had good walk totals, but struck out a lot, especially for a guy who showed gap more than HR power.  With the Red Sox, he became mired at AAA due to the presence of Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew.  Moss has below average speed but plays well enough in the corners and has a strong arm.  The Pirates acquired him in the three-way trade involving Ramirez and Jason Bay. He was initially expected to take over LF, but he ended up playing mainly in right after Nyjer Morgan took over in left.

Moss showed some power potential after the trade, but struggled for some extended periods, especially in September.  He has good bat speed, but there are some sizeable holes in his swing, such as down and in.  His power is mainly straight away, so he's unlikely to benefit from the short RF porch at PNC. He probably profiles best as a complementary player, possibly a platoon player, although he hit LHPs better than RHPs after the trade in a small sample size.  He missed a little time at the end of 2008 when a routine, end-of-season physical revealed a spot in his knee where missing cartilage was creating a divot in the bone.  Moss was surprised by the result, as he'd experienced no problems except for mild soreness when he played on the few remaining artificial turf fields in the AL, but the condition could have worsened over time.  He underwent surgery and was originally expected to be out for 4-6 months, but the surgeon ended up being able to use a less intrusive technique.  Moss was ready for spring training, although he ended up missing part of it with a wrist injury.

After opening the regular season as the starting right fielder, Moss struggled.  He didn't hit his first HR until May 12, by which time he was hitting 174/228/244.  It's possible his wrist was still bothering him.  He got hot the rest of May, but then generally struggled the rest of the year.  The emergence of Garrett Jones cost him his regular job, although John Russell frequently sat him down even before that.  He played only part-time in July and August, but was in the lineup more often in September as Steve Pearce didn't hit, with Jones shifting to first.  Moss' struggles throughout the year were a little different from those of many Pirate hitters.  In contrast to most of his teammates, who were easily victimized by offspeed pitches, Moss often struggled against even mediocre fastballs.  During his early season slump opponents simply threw him fastballs right over the plate and he seemed unable to catch up to anything, whether it was in the mid-90s or mid-80s.  Moss got only 56 at-bats against LHPs, but his OPS against them was only 30 points lower than his OPS against RHPs, so it's unlikely he could be productive as a platoon player.  He did play very well defensively, as UZR had him as one of the better right fielders in the majors.  He also recorded eight assists.  Near the end of the year, the Pirates told Moss he'd be getting less playing time in the future, which was probably a way of saying that he'll be a fourth outfielder in 2010.  Assuming the Pirates acquire a corner player in the off-season, as they've stated they want to do, Moss might not be useful even as a backup.  Between first, left and right, Jones and Lastings Milledge will take two starting positions, and a new acquisition might take the third.  Unlike Moss, Pearce might be a good platoon player as he has a huge split, and Delwyn Young may be a better bat off the bench, although he'd be inferior to Moss defensively.  Jose Tabata may be ready for the majors soon and Jeff Clement gives them a more promising option for a LH bat, which is manageable because Jones can play right or first.  Moss has no options left, so he could become one of several tests of Neal Huntington's willingness to cut bait on his own trade acquisitions.

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